A walker lost on Dartmoor as darkness fell and bad weather closed in was saved thanks to his mobile phone. Volunteers from the Ashburton branch of the Dartmoor Search and Rescue team were able to guide the man to safety.

The team's search manager said: "The walker was lucky that he was in an area of mobile phone coverage as we could work out quickly where he was likely to be.

"If he had no mobile signal we may have had to search all night and considering the bad weather there was a chance he would have become hypothermic."

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The search manager added: "By talking to the walker we ascertained that he was probably near the Puffing Billy Track somewhere north of Three Barrows.

"Two rescue team Land Rovers were dispatched to drive along the track while search control was established at Shipley Bridge. Mobile phone contact was maintained with the walker and he was talked towards the track and told to look for the blue flashing lights of the Land Rovers.

"At 8.33pm he was located and was, as expected, on the Puffing Billy Track a kilometre north of Three Barrows near Left Lake mires. He was returned by Land Rover to Shipley Bridge a little cold and damp but none the worse for his experience."